Proposed amendment on consent to property tax hikes rejected

(The Center Square) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would stop governments in the state from raising property taxes without the owner’s consent.

Yost turned away the proposed “Homestead and Private Property” amendment because it failed to gather the 1,000 verified voter signatures required to proceed.

Yost, writing to petitioner Gerald Bruce, said, “The submission, in total, contained only 508 valid signatures. Because your submission did not contain the verified signatures of at least one thousand qualified electors, we must reject it. The Attorney General’s Office has not made any determination concerning the summary language of the submission. This rejection is based upon the failure to obtain at least one thousand valid signatures."

The proposed amendment would eliminate state and local governments from increasing property values without the owner’s consent, including any improvements to the property up to $50,000.

It would also stop property reappraisals except when it changes ownership through a sale or inheritance.

It also would include a homestead exemption reduction of $50,000 off the tax value.

The group pushing for the change can continue to try to collect the needed signatures. If it does, Yost would rule on the legality of the title and summary.